Del Negro gamble could backfire for stuttering Bulls

The appointment of a rookie coach in Chicago was always a risk – and one that's beginning to look foolish

Chicago Bulls forward Thabo Sefolosha, guard Kirk Hinrich, and forward Tyrus Thomas look on from the bench in the final seconds of their 109-108 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime on Sunday. Photograph: Paul Battaglia/AP

Hiring Vinny Del Negro to coach the Chicago Bulls last summer was a leap of faith. Half a season in, and with no safety net lurking below, there is a distinct possibility that his team will implode. Faith is only one of the traits that the Bulls lack, however. And the fingers of blame are pointing in the direction of the rookie playcaller.

It was a surprising choice at the outset. Del Negro was plucked from the Phoenix Suns' front office by the Bulls' general manager, John Paxson, and given his induction into the coaching trade. Still, in many ways, he held the type of CV that has become so common for coaches in recent years. During his playing career as a hard-nosed point guard, he fluctuated between starting and reserve roles but always knew his job. He made the most of his talent – just like Doc Rivers, Nate McMillan, Byron Scott, Maurice Cheeks, Michael Curry, Avery Johnson and Rick Carlisle among the recent vintage of recruits to the bench.

There was even the plus of his two-year stint overseas when he helped Benetton Treviso to the Italian Lega A title. "Gotta know those Euro tricks, right?" GMs, self-preservationists to a man, rarely like to buck the trends.

How else do you explain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the finest centre of his generation, never getting past the interview stage? Yet for all his apparently impeccable credentials, the one thing Del Negro totally lacked was experience at this level. And with the Bulls' losing streak now five games and counting, Chicago are in danger of falling, yet again, into the lottery ravine, with their coach conducting a fruitless quest for answers.

Take Sunday night, for example, when Chicago, with a 17–27 record, faced Minnesota, one of just nine clubs with a worse mark. Twenty-four seconds to go in the fourth quarter, the scores level at 97–97, Del Negro called a time out to set up the victorious play. Derrick Rose was to dribble right, his team-mates were to spread the floor, and the first-year point guard would be entrusted to set up the open man.

Simple, right? Except Rose dallied too long, almost collided with Ben Gordon, and ended up taking an off-balance prayer shot which clanked off the rim, forcing an overtime in which the Timberwolves narrowly prevailed.

"Obviously, the in-game situations have been the problem," Del Negro said afterwards. "The execution just is not there."

You can feel sympathy, up to a point. After all, once the whistle blows, it is up to the players to carry out the instructions. Rose may be favourite to be named Rookie of the Year but he is still finding his feet in the pros. Six of the Bulls 14-man roster are aged under 23, including the Great Britain forward Luol Deng. However, at this level the coach's main task is to get his charges to work in unison rather than to instil the fundamentals.

Poor execution, repeated defensive breakdowns, and a lack of coherence are all evident. As are the signs that the troops are not unanimously behind their supposed general.

"I just don't feel we're all on one page, in terms of injuries and guys coming back and guys not knowing what's going on," said Deng who, by his own admission, is having a poor year. When Rose was asked if the players did listen to their coach, his response was cryptic but suggestive. "I know a lot of us do. The people who are not, coaches are trying to get to them and talk to them and have meetings with them."

Meetings? What next, a spa day? Del Negro concedes there is no one-size-fits-all approach to getting his message across. But when he had a public bust-up with Ben Gordon after the would-be GB international arrived late for a flight, it was a perfect illustration of the mess. Coach rants. Player expresses frustration. Punitive action ensues. Individual performances, and results, still dire.

Del Negro may have, on the face of it, looked like the ideal fit to lead the Bulls but with every passing game his credibility is receding. Paxson's faith looks ever more misplaced. Will it, you wonder, last even until the end of the season?

Offensive Rebound

As per usual, the list of starters chosen by the basketball-following public for next month's NBA All Star Game in Phoenix has thrown up the odd, baffling anomaly. Like Allen Iverson, getting a starting slot instead of Joe Johnson. Or Amar'e Stoudemire, ahead of Dirk Nowitzki.

The coaches, who pick the reserves, file their ballots by Tuesday afternoon with the selected extras announced on Thursday. With sympathies to the injured Carmelo Anthony, and the opportunity to turn up at ample PR opportunities for Suns' duo Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal, here are my choices for the stellar subs.